Then when they asked him if he felt like he still had anything left to prove, he said he did: “Always. It’s odd. I feel like I’m only 30 percent in my career. I’m just getting to the point where I know what I’m doing. I still feel like I’m young and excited.”

It’s remarkable that McGraw still has such a genuine humble side. But even though he’s touring stadiums this summer, McGraw admits he doesn’t love going to stadium shows as a fan.

“I don’t have time and I don’t really enjoy it,” he says. “All I want to do is check out the lighting rig and ask the sound guy, ‘Why don’t you have the bass up a little higher?’”

But the first big show he remembers going to — just as a fan and not as an industry expert — was Ted Nugent’s Wango Tango show in Louisiana. Seeing Nugent in furry underwear that night might have scarred McGraw for life.